I hope this email finds our community well and safe during these unusual times. I want to take this opportunity to thank-you all for your continued support around our Alert Level 2 protocols and the ever changing landscape that we are dealing with.

This Friday 12th November is a TEACHER ONLY DAY. There will be NO SCHOOL as well as NO BEFORE OR AFTER SCHOOL CARE on this day. This is one of our planned Government ACCORD days where the Teachers will be working on reports, assessments and planning for 2022. Thank-you for your support of this during these unprecedented times.

As we will all be well aware with Alert Levels unchanged and looking like they won't change, some of our end of year gatherings are going to look different. Currently, we cannot hold our End of year Mass and prize giving inside due to gathering sizes. We are working through options so that we can make it happen for our Yr 6s who are leaving. We will keep you updated as we make these changes.

This is a hot topic at the moment and we are trying to navigate this with the lens of keeping our community safe and protected and following the guidelines which are set by the Ministry of Health. I have tried to collate some of this information for you below. Please note that moving forward we are going to need to ask people for proof of Vaccination when working, volunteering on certain activities moving forward. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Everyone who works on a school or kura site who may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present must have had a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Monday 15 November and be fully vaccinated by 1 January 2022.

The term ‘works’ includes all contractors, tradespeople and consultants (and all their staff and subcontractors).

See the vaccination checklist here.

This is a reminder of the guidelines at Alert Level 2. It is important we follow the advice given by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health.

We want to thank our parent community for the understanding they have shown so far and this is a reminder for us while we are still in Alert Level 2. We are hopefully nearly there and we ask that we continue to do our part to keep our whole community safe.

General Health Advice:

Stay home if you’re sick

• If your child is sick, they must stay at home.

• If you or your child has symptoms of COVID-19, call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 24 hours a day for advice.

• See information about the common COVID-19 symptoms and who to contact to talk about whether you need a test.

Use basic hygiene

• Basic hygiene measures include good hand hygiene, cough and sneeze etiquette, avoid touching your face, and clean surfaces.

• Drinking at school: our water fountains are closed. Every child needs to bring a named drink bottle.

• Food: Everyone needs to bring their own lunch. No shared lunches.

Wear a mask

• If you are required to enter a school building please wear a mask.

• When entering our school grounds we appreciate the wearing of a mask and social distancing as recommended by the Ministry of Health.

• Face masks are not required to be worn by children but this is a decision for you and your whānau.

Record your movements

• Avoid coming on-site unless necessary.

• We encourage communication with the school office to be done by phone or email.

• Should you need to enter the school office, please sign in using the COVID tracer app or register, sanitize, and stand 2 mtrs back from the front desk.

• To record your movements, scan the QR codes wherever you go and turn on Bluetooth tracing in the app.

• If you have entered the classroom you must sign the paper register as well as QR scanning.

Physical distancing

• To avoid infection, follow physical social distancing guidelines – by keeping your distance when outside your home

• At Alert Levels 2, keep 2 meters distance.

Arrival and departure at school:

• If you are a parent of a child in the Junior School and need to take your child to the classroom, please wear a mask, scan your COVID tracer app, and do not enter the classroom. Stand at a distance from other adults and children. The teacher will be there to greet your child.

• If your child should arrive late please ensure they sign in at the school office as per our normal protocols.

• At the end of the school day, ALL students will exit and go to where they need to. Please don't congregate in the school or at the gate as this is a risk for students who are not your children.

• Children must go straight home after school, we are unable to let groups of people congregate around the playground.

Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s kaiako or me if there is something you need assistance with.

St Mary's Staff

Ngā mihi